IUCN threat status:

Brief Summary

Biology

This species is a very social and active animal; it forms groups of up to several hundred individuals (5), and tends to readily mix with other species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) (4). This fast-swimming species can often be seen breaching (clearing the water), bow-riding (riding on the bow-wave at the front of boats and even large whales), and splashing the tail flukes noisily onto the surface of the water (4). They feed on a range of fish species as well as squid (2). Strandings of both individuals and of groups are a fairly common occurrence (4). A single calf is typically produced in June or July after a gestation period of around ten months (7). At birth the calf measures somewhere in the region of 1.1 metres in length (2), and will be weaned by 18 months of age (7).